Informed Opinions
by Aranya Ver'Sarn
Summary: After getting sucked through rifts, handling temporal crises, and containing renewed Legion activity in Outland over the year, one arcanist is determined to find efficient ways of working her craft across the dimensions, with the hope of being able to better resolve future problems. But she needs a second, informed opinion, if she's to succeed with what looks to be her best chance.


SUMMARY

After getting sucked through rifts, handling temporal crises, and containing renewed Legion activity in Outland over the year, one arcanist is determined to find efficient ways of working her craft across the dimensions, with the hope of being able to better resolve future problems. But the scrolls that she has studied and the shadowy magics that are bound to her best chance are of a nature that's out of her field. She needs a second, informed opinion, if she is to succeed and make this chance her own.

Timeframe: Several days before the Iron Horde invades Azeroth

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_**Usual**_ **_Legal Disclaimer:_** Please refer to "DISCLAIMERS SECTION" on my profile.

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The hours were waning into the cooler parts of the day. The gentle autumn temperatures seemed to contrast, in a way, with the warm light of the bold, golden colors that were beginning to set the western sky aflame. The sun stretched its impotently burning touch over the elves' gilded kingdom of eternal song and efflorescence, and in the courtyard between the Arcane Academy and the Temple of the Sun, it gleamed on the heads of two pointy-eared figures, who sat looking like femininely personified contrasts of night and day themselves.

One wore the dark garb of a warlock, her silvery tresses falling in elegant waves around her shoulders, while the taller one's sleek black mane brushed lightly over the threads of her mage-robes and fell a little to one side with the tilt of her head.

"How long have you had this?" Shad'ara asked. Her fair, whiskery eyebrows twitched with intrigue as she regarded the crystalline object hovering in the empty space above the open palms of her friend's hands, slowly turning around and around in the air, like an arcane toy. Although clearly illuminated somehow, it did not appear to be from within. Yet, strangely, light seemed to warp just around it - like the distortions in the rippling air of a heat wave - rather than to shine or reflect _directly_ upon it. There were few other objects that the warlock had seen that were anything quite like it.

"Since the time of the civil conflicts with the Sunfury and the Illidari," answered Aranya, not taking her own gaze from the mysterious thing that she had brought with her for the other caster's consideration. "Before the betrayer's demise."

It was difficult to say if the arcanist referred specifically to Kael'thas Sunstrider or to Illidan Stormrage with that epithet, but Shad'ara continued to listen without interrupting.

"I'll spare you the details of _how_ exactly I acquired this," Aranya went on, "but suffice to say that in those days, the Auchenai became a problem of particular concern to the Sha'tar." The corner of her mouth pulled up, and although her voice and general aspect were all the appearance of unconcerned innocence, there was a brighter gleam in her fel-green eyes as she glanced to Shad'ara. "One that many a soul in Shattrath was quite _eager_ to deal with on their behalf." The dark-haired mage shifted her attention once again to the strange object hovering in the air. "Soul mirrors, like this one, are still used by the Auchenai priesthood to commune with spirits. Even for that reason alone, I knew when it came into my possession that it would be worth stashing away for some possible future purpose," the arcanist said, beckoning the object in question to her with a whispered syllable and closing her slender fingers around it once it had reached her grasp. "But given some of the strange trans-dimensional phenomena that some of my associates and I have been involved with over the year..."

A sudden fluttering at Shad'ara's center distracted her momentarily. It would almost seem as though even the child that grew within her was anxious about what the arcanist would say next. Shad'ara kept her composure, however, anticipating Aranya's elaboration on what exactly her purpose was by showing this soul mirror to her.

The burning green eyes of both women locked as Aranya continued. "I've been investigating the possibilities of its use as a focus," she said. "An _active_ focus for magic, across the time and space barriers. Trans-dimensional magical transmission."

Shad'ara blinked, her brows immediately furrowed with consternation. "Aranya, do you grasp how _dangerous_ that could be?" The warlock may have been a fair number of decades younger than the arcanist, but her experience with dark magic was greater and of more depth than her years would seem to belie. "Soul magic of _any_ discipline or philosophy is nothing to be trifled with. If you go looking through the Void, the Void _will_ look back."

The arcanist nodded. "I understand that," she rejoined. "It took a few Shadow Council lackeys getting an arcane pulse to the head for me to recover as much information as I could to _better_ understand that," she said, with a slight wry twist of her mouth, though her tone was quite serious. "But my studies and investigations _have_ yielded some promising insights."

Shad'ara only silently tilted her head to one side in reply to this, but she looked patient, curious, and expectant. She was listening.

"I've discovered some success in channeling with the soul mirror by invoking it's power structurally," Aranya stated, and she held up the draenei-crafted object to better visually assist with her explanation. "Note the material that it's crafted from and the glyphs that are etched into it," she pointed out. "Resonance principles applying to what it's _made of,_ the particular frequencies that it responds to weren't difficult to deduce, but the runic aspect of the glyphs has to be accounted for as well-" she smiled admiringly at the thing "-which adds a brilliant facet of complexity and directed purpose to its design."

"So," Shad'ara interjected, "at even the most basic level, its design is to be an object of use with soul magic by the Auchenai?"

"No and yes," replied Aranya with a broad smile. "It's designed to _respond_ to that kind of magic most readily, but at its most basic magical structure, it's _meant_ to open or create channels through the layers of what we see as the structure of reality."

"But it _was_ made with the intention for matters of the soul from it's very inception, was it not?" Shad'ara pointed out. "Whether by it's structure or by the powers imbued into it. This is undeniable truth, yes?"

Aranya opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it and remained silent, a considering look on her face.

"Aranya, if the aim is accomplishing trans-dimensional magic, surely there could be other ways?" Shad'ara asked.

The arcanist's tone of voice was plain, neither exaggerating nor hiding anything, and carried a slight undernote of weariness to it when she replied, "None that wouldn't take years and involve a considerable amount of more danger." It was obvious that she had looked into other paths for this inquiry, and had found nothing that gave her any sense of hope or promise in pursuing them. While willing to pursue dangerous objectives, Aranya Ver'Sarn was not an uncareful scholar. Something about the soul's ability to exist beyond the finite made this particular artifact the ideal instrument of her purpose.

Shad'ara took a deep breath. _Alright then._

"So..." began the warlock, "what is it that I can do for you?"

After about a minute, Aranya answered, "You have a rather unique background that makes your opinion of particular value in this matter." She was trying to place things delicately and politely, though the warlock could not discern why she might feel the need to. "Your knowledge of summoning, as well as your past experience as a priestess, lends more credible insight to whatever you may be able tell me."

Shad'ara blinked with mild surprise. The former priestess had not expected that kind of answer, but it was clear to her that the arcanist was, indeed, being far from a naive idealist in coming to her for advisement and assistance with these pursuits, then. She was seeking the informed opinion of someone that she felt she could trust with this.

_"If_ you were to agree to it," Aranya went on hastily. "I would _never_ wish to impose possible risk to you-" she looked down at Shad'ara's rounded belly "-or to your child."

Shad'ara smiled. She held out her hand, prompting Aranya to hand the soul mirror over to her. The fair-haired caster turned it over and over in her hand, examining it, tracing over the etchings in its crystalline surface with her fingertips, and at length declared, "I'll need to see whatever notes and research you have compiled, and perhaps a demonstration of some of your procedures, but I think that I may be able to help you negate further danger." She looked up at the arcanist. "You say that your channeling is done structurally, runically. Perhaps a buffer, then, by certain runes and imbued ciphers, can be devised."

The logic of a summoner. Reasoning well-received, if the sparkle in the mage's eyes was any indication.

A few sudden, enthusiastic _thumps_ from within Shad'ara made her fel-lit eyes go wide, and her other hand automatically went to her stomach. "I think little Kastria is quite excited by all this," she said, humorously.

Aranya grinned, and joked in return, "And I am _happy_ to have her approval on it!" She leaned forward where she sat and looked directly at the large, rounded belly of her friend, and called in an exaggeratedly soft tone, _"Helloooo_ in there, little Kastria! I am _so_ eager to meet you very soon!" Both women were grinning by now. The mage looked up to meet the warlock's eyes. "What you have is beautiful, Shad'ara," she said, truly happy for the other woman, to have love and family in her life.

Shad'ara smiled radiantly back and said, "Well, I do hope to see you have the same for yourself, Aranya."

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Shad'ara Sunbreeze-Felsun belongs to The-Serene-Mage


End file.
